How are the Hawk missile launchers that will arrive in Ukraine to reinforce its troops

USA is considering the possibility of sending to Ukraine Old Hawk air defense equipment in storage to help it fend off Russian drone and cruise missile attacks, two US officials have confirmed.

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The Hawk interceptor missiles would be an upgrade to the Stinger missile systems – a smaller, shorter-range air defense system – that the United States has already sent to counter the Russian invasion.

HAWK missile defense systems. (Picture Alliance/)

The administration of President Joe Biden will use the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) to transfer the Hawk kits, which are based on Vietnam-era technology but have been upgraded several times. PDA allows the United States to quickly transfer defense items and services from its stocks without congressional approval in response to an emergency.

The Hawk system, whose acronym stands for “Homing All the Way Killer”, is the predecessor of the Patriot missile defense system, made by Raytheon Technologies, which remains off the table for Ukraine, according to a US official.

Biden promised his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodimir Zelensky, that Washington would provide Ukraine with advanced air systems following a devastating missile barrage by Russia earlier this month.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said a few weeks ago that Spain intends to send four Hawk launchers.

“I thank my Spanish colleague Margarita Robles for the decision to send four Hawk air defense systems to Ukraine (…) There are more Hawks on the way. Today air defense is a priority not only for Ukraine, but for all of Europe, ”Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov thanked his Spanish counterpart days ago in a Twitter post.

I thank my ???????? colleague Margarita Robles for the decision to send 4 Hawk air defense systems to ????????. It is a quick answer for the request of ???????? in #Ramstein 6
There are more Hawks on the way.
Today air defense is a priority not only for ????????, but for all of Europe.????????????????????

— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) October 13, 2022

How do they work

This defense system is characterized by being medium-range surface-to-air missiles that have radars that allow the detection of aircraft flying at lower altitudes in the presence of a strong disorder on the ground, explained the Global Security site.

The missiles measure 5,120 meters long and 0.356 meters in diameter, have a range of 40 kilometers and reach a speed of just over 800 meters/second. They were acquired by the US Army in 1959 and Spain incorporated them into its Armed Forces in the 1960s. US systems have been in storage for decades.

HAWK missile defense systems were acquired by the US Army in 1959. (Langevin Jacques – Sygma/)

US sources confirmed that the possibility of sending a PDA later this week is being studied. The size of the military aid package is likely to be half that of the recently sent, which has been around $700 million.

Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, which it calls a “special operation,” the United States has sent some $17.6 billion worth of security aid to kyiv.

By: “La Nación”, from Argentina / GDA

Source: Elcomercio